Understanding the Impact of Service Page Structure on Local SEO: City Pages vs. Service Area Pages
Navigating the nuances of website architecture for local SEO can be complex and often leads to ongoing debates among digital marketers and SEO professionals. One common question centers around the optimal page structure when targeting specific services within geographic areas: Should you create dedicated “city” pages, or should you focus on broad “service area” pages?
In this article, we’ll explore two prevalent approaches and analyze their implications for SEO performance, potential risks of duplicate content, and overall effectiveness in connecting with your local audience.
The Two Common Page Structures
1. Service + City Page (e.g., domain/services/roofing-los-angeles)
This approach involves creating URL structures that combine the service type with the city name. For instance:
https://yourdomain.com/services/roofing-los-angeles/
Such pages specifically target users searching for “roofing in Los Angeles,” offering highly localized, relevant content.
2. Service Area + City-Service Page (e.g., domain/service-area/los-angeles-roofing)
Alternatively, this model positions city-specific pages under a broader “service area” directory, with URLs like:
https://yourdomain.com/service-area/los-angeles-roofing/
This structure emphasizes the geographic area as a core component, potentially allowing for a comprehensive overview of services provided across regions.
Do Both Structures Lead to Cannibalization?
A key concern when deploying multiple similar pages targeting the same keywords is the risk of content cannibalization—where multiple pages compete for the same search queries, confusing search engines and diluting your SEO efforts.
While both page types aim to serve similar local intent, their difference lies in how they are presented and optimized. If not carefully differentiated, having both could indeed cause overlapping content issues. However, with strategic content differentiation and proper internal linking, they can coexist effectively.
Which Structure Is More SEO-Friendly?
The optimal choice depends on several factors:
- Targeted User Intent: If your primary goal is to rank highly for specific city-based keywords, dedicated city pages (Option 1) allow for tailored content optimized around those terms.
- Site Hierarchy and Crawl Efficiency: Organizing pages under a “service area” section (Option 2) can provide a centralized hub for regional services, simplifying navigation and site hierarchy.
- Content Differentiation: Ensuring each page offers unique, valuable content tailored